![]() If the landscapes and backdrops of the Nine Realms are more impressive in this sequel, then so too is the action. Cue the fisticuffs and much slinging of Mjolnir. The Dark Elves want it and, for reasons I can't disclose without giving away plot spoilers, they're going to have to go through Thor's love interest Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) to get it. The plot involves a source of unimaginable power (yes, another one!) called the Aether. Where magic and science are one and the same So do allow plenty of time for your journey!) (It's more like fifteen and you'll need to change trains. For any non-Londoners planning to visit the city to see the movie locations, however, please note that - contrary to the advice given in the film - Greenwich is NOT just three stops from Charing Cross on the tube. As a Londoner myself, it was nice to see areas of London not usually featured in a Hollywood blockbuster, the climax unfolding at Greenwich rather than, say, the London Eye. The Earth-bound scenes are set in London which is probably just as well since New York is doubtless still cleaning up after the onslaught unleashed upon it in The Avengers. It's a magical place with breathtaking panoramic views, exotic buildings, open spaces and a waterfall to rival the Falls of Rauros.īut Thor: the Dark World isn't set entirely on alien worlds. Similarly, Asgard itself which in Thor looked like a matte painting of a bunch of organ pipes suspended above a great black void, here looks like a real city, easily as impressive as the great Dwarven kingdom of Erebor in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. However, whereas Thor's battle against the Frost Giants in Jotunheim seemed to take place on a claustrophobic studio set, this battle (against new baddies, the Dark Elves of Svartalfheim) takes place out in the open, on Vanaheim, and was apparently shot on location, thereby making the Nine Realms mentioned in the first film seem just a little more real. With the reset button firmly pressed, then, the second movie begins - like the first - with a fantasy battle which could have been lifted straight from The Lord of the Rings. Having helped to save (read: "destroy") New York, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) has returned to Asgard, his adopted brother Loki is safely behind bars (well, a magical force field), and the Tesseract is once more in the custodianship of top god, Odin. The film starts after the events of The Avengers. Heroes like Iron Man have at least one foot planted in reality, but - without the novelty value to carry the film - could Marvel really make us believe in a Norse god as a superhero for a second time? If all you have is a hammer, everything looksĭespite having enjoyed the first Thor movie, therefore, I went to see Thor: the Dark World with mixed expectations. 3 and 4 seldom provides the same scope for character growth or interesting plot development. Seeing how he defeats generic villains Nos. Seeing how the character first deals with the acquisition of superhuman powers and becomes the hero he's destined to be is a classic story-telling arc. For me, the story of a hero's origin is often the best story in his entire back catalogue. There's a theory among movie critics that the second film in a superhero franchise should be better than the first because it doesn't have to deal with all that messy "origins" stuff. ![]() I will not write 'it's hammer time' I will not write. ![]() So what can our US cousins expect? Does this second instalment of the thunder god's adventures bring the lightning, or does it just rain on everyone's parade? Thor: the Dark World opens in the US today but, for some reason, it hit our screens here in the UK a week ago. ![]()
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